2024 brainworms
Moving (1993)
things I was obsessed with in 2024 and by that I mean, I think about each of these individual things at least once a week:
Shinji Sōmai: In 2023, I saw Oldboy (2003) at IFC Center. Before the showing, there played a trailer for an insane-looking movie with a bunch of half-naked Japanese school children running around in the rain called Typhoon Club (1985). I thought to myself in that moment that if I ever got the chance to see that film in the future, I would take it. A year later, Metrograph would play Typhoon Club, as well as a selection of Sōmai’s other work. I was shocked I had never heard of Sōmai before, but it seems the US distribution rights for his films were only just acquired in 2024. While I was blown away by Typhoon Club, Moving (1993) was even more moving (ha). I contend it is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. The masterful thread of Shinji Sōmai’s work is his ability to weave between the unbounded childhood joy and the wrenching devastation of more mature topics like suicide, depression, and heartbreak in a way that isn’t uncomfortably projecting those themes onto children for some sort of juxtapositional commentary (Licorice Pizza) or romanticizing the angst of teen hood (Eighth Grade).
Dylan Henner, You Always Will Be (2022): This album + Aphex Twin were my music grails this year! Enjoy!
Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees by Lawrence Weschler: This book was a birthday gift from Sean, and I remember thinking that it was an extremely random gift given I had never expressed any interest in American art or biographies, and if anything had previously expressed distaste for both (lol). However, the book was a truly transformative read. An intimate portrait of a stubborn, forlorn artist (Robert Irwin) who spent his life attempting to capture the impossibly pure beauty of light and space (and betting on horseraces). It also provided a fascinating glimpse into the burgeoning art scenes on the American east (NYC) and west coasts (LA) during the later 20th century.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: I read The Little Prince in high school French class, and for no particular reason felt the urge to re-read it at the beginning of the year. It’s a very amusing read, but also puts into humbling perspective just how silly many of the vices adults choose to obsess over are. I particularly love this passage and think about it often.
Balenciaga City bag: I was very graciously given this bag as a gift for my birthday. It really does live up to the hype, I fear.
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) dir. by Werner Herzog: There are some films that remind you how magical the visual medium of cinema is. That’s all there really is to it with this one.
8 1/2 (1963) dir. by Federico Fellini: Recommendation from Eugene. For thoughts, see the above item, but also the whole time I was thinking to myself, “AI could never.”
“Inside the Sinofuturist Universe with Lawrence Lek” by Katie Chiou (lol): I learned more during this conversation than I think I did during any other conversation I had this entire year and it’s a conversation I think about almost every day.
AMC A-list: After about a year of different friends badgering me about it, I finally got AMC A-list in July. It’s surprisingly freeing to be able to book a movie and really not think twice about it (you can cancel tickets at any time). Movies I saw with AMC A-list this year: Wicked, Gladiator 2, Conclave, Anora, We Live in Time, My Old Ass, Saturday Night, The Wild Robot, Alien: Romulus, Trap, Longlegs. Seeing all these films normally would’ve cost $220 and I saw them for a total of $125 :D
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) dir. by Quentin Tarantino: Ugh! I love women!
Gladiator (2000) dir. by Ridley Scott: I only watched Gladiator because I felt morally obligated to watch it before watching Gladiator 2, but holy shit. The acting was remarkable. It’s also just such a singular experience to watch something for the first time and immediately recognize the lineage of references that came after it. Joaquin Phoenix really is that girl.
Nasthug set, Boiler Room Tokyo 2024: I spent a lot more time on SoundCloud this year than I have in previous years, and this was my most played track (well deserved). A much-needed reminder that serious music can also be very fun.
Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80: After many years of being too scared to become a film photography bro, I finally got a film camera! I haven’t felt the giddiness I had when I got my first set of film rolls back in a very long time. It’s a very recent development, so I’m excited to see how the hobby evolves in 2025 :)
